300 Years of Watchmaking History | Horology Forum

Traveling back in time: a 40 min Look Back at the #watch industry's history

In this captivating odyssey, Tim Mosso embarks on a journey through time, tracing the evolution of the watch industry over 300 years, presented in the spirited flair.

Speaker:
#TimMosso, Global Watch Specialist & Media Director, The 1916 Company

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[joriantp]

What a great video, clear, consice and an entertaining overview.

[dannysimenauer]

Professor Mosso is in the house! I can't imagine the time it took to do the research for this presentation. Hoping Tim gets invited to other watch associations to share this information; especially, the Horological Society of New York (HSNY).

[jimmillett]

Fascinating, insightful and brilliant presentation by Tim Mosso. Are there no limits to his talents. How has this got so few views so far!

[the.curator]

Well done for introducing 19th-century American industrial watchmaking in the presentation.

[thecompanywatchreviews]

Hi all, just a quick note. The Essex was ram sunk by a whale in 1820. Details matter! That's all I have to add.
Best,
Tim

[UnseenHero]

Great video that I will have to come back to a few times

[weitsufan]

What a the virtuosity in horological scholarship! I was very fortunate to be there in the audience and met Tim afterwards.

[scottstone]

Incredible history lesson. Truly impressive!

[Chrissepisje]

Wasn't the Waltham factory, established in 1854 in Massachusets, earlier than Zenith? Very good lecture, I just lived in the notion that the Swiss actually got the idea for factory line watch production from the Americans.

Also, Rolex did not invent the gasket or the screw down crown. That honour goes to Borgel, Tavannes, Fitch, Dennison and others, where the first waterproof watch was displayed at the 1851 world fair in London, by W Pettitt & Co.

Lastly it is a bit of a shame that the dual impulse escapement in an Evolution 9 movement from Grand Seiko wasn't mentioned as a third alternative escapement form next to the detent and the co-axial.


Still a very good lecture, it's just that small inaccuracies pile up.

[Velociphile]

Harrison's H4 used the Flamenville escapement.

[lrfantiquewatcheswwitrench]

Tim, I found it rather strange that you would credit Rolex and the 1926 Oyster when it comes to waterproof wristwatch technology (minute marker 44:24), as nothing could be further from the truth. Rolex's story of being the world's first waterproof wristwatch has been completely debunked. Charles Depollier's 1918 Waltham Depollier "Field & Marine" Waterproof Wristwatch, that featured a screw down crown, was tested by the United States Army Engineering & Research Division and by the United States Bureau of Standards for waterproof ability in 1918. It PASSED their 500 hour submersion tests with flying colors. Then on December 5, 1918 Depollier signed a contract with the United States War Department (today the DOD) for 10, 000 waterproof wristwatch, with screw down crowns.This happened 3, 275 days before Mercedes Gleitze failed to swim across the English Channel when Rolex claims the "birthday announcement of the waterproof watch" on the cover of the Daily Mail. Depollier had an independently tested waterproof wristwatch before Rolex even moved to Switzerland! Just in the past month articles have been published in the New York Times, Perezcope, Hodinkee and Time & Tide stripping Rolex of their self proclaimed title, now crediting Charles Depollier. Even the official Rolex Wikipedia page has stripped Rolex of the title of being the world's first waterproof wristwatch. Charles Depollier is now credited, citation #65. I'd be glad to send you a digital copy of my latest book that has all of the official U.S. government reports and the Army documents that are clearly date stamped 1918. The book even includes the transcript of a federal lawsuit where the entire time of events in this saga are clearly laid out. These document lay out in black and white the 1918 MIL SPEC for the world's first waterproof wristwatch. I'm sorry to say but Hans Wilsdorf was a lair who stole credit for horological innovation from Charles Depollier. There is no doubt about it any longer. You can contact me through my webpage, LRF Antique Watches for the free copy of my Depollier book. Horological history has been rewritten Tim. Stan Czubernat

[collectible_watches]

Tim, when you said luxury watches started around 1985... Do you mean all brands went that direction ? Cause a Patek 1518 and 2499 are as you know a few decades older